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Rosamund Painswick
Lady Rosamund Painswick (née Crawley) is the daughter of the Fifth Earl of Grantham and his wife Violet. She is a free-spirited, opinionated woman, who feels compelled at times to meddle in family affairs. Her closest ally within the family is her only sibling Robert. Lady Rosamund is the widow of Marmaduke Painswick, a very wealthy banker, and lives by herself in London on Eaton Square. She is portrayed by Samantha Bond. Character in the Series Series One Rosamund is first mentioned when she writes a letter to Matthew Crawley, welcoming him into the family. She writes to her family often from her home in Eaton Square. Robert receives a letter from her telling him that people have been gossiping about her niece, Lady Mary. Cora laughs and says that Rosamund was probably asking for "a leg of lamb and all the vegetables we can muster." Robert responds, saying she misses the taste of her old home. Cora speculates that she misses not paying for food instead. She is first seen when Mary is staying with her in 1914, suspicious of Mary after hearing rumours about Kemal Pamuk's fatal visit to Downton Abbey. Rosamund seems opposed to the idea of Mary marrying Matthew, especially when Cora becomes pregnant, with the possibility of there being a male heir with a stronger claim to the title of Earl of Grantham. This plants uncertainty into Mary's mind, which makes Matthew lose interest in her, much to the chagrin of Violet, Robert, and Cora. She is present at the garden party where Robert receives the telegram declaring England is at war with Germany. Series Two Rosamund appears again in 1917, when Sir Richard Carlisle visits Downton Abbey. She comes with him on the journey, and states that "he never took his nose out of his own newspapers, but I'm sure I'll like him." She witnesses an argument between Sir Richard and Lavinia Swire, Matthew's new fiance. Violet convinces her that Mary is still in love with Matthew, and mother and daughter conspire to split Matthew and Lavinia. Lavinia has tea with the two women, who do their best to intimidate her. She notices this, and confides in Mary about a time when Sir Richard blackmailed her into starting the Marconi scandal. Mary has the opportunity to destroy Lavinia with this information, but chose not to, which annoyed Rosamund. Christmas Special 2011 Rosamund stays at Downton in the winter of 1919 for Christmas and the New Year. She brings with her a new lady’s maid, Marigold Shore and Lord Hepworth, a gentlemen interested in marrying her, however only for her fortune, as he is in debt and has had to sell several of the family estates. Regardless of what her mother, The Dowager Countess (who is well acquainted with the family, having been pursued by Lord Hepworth’s father in the late 1860s) or her brother, Robert think of the 'unsuitable marriage' she insists she is “tired of being alone” and seriously considers marrying Lord Hepworth, the process being helped along by Shore, who is eager to see her mistress marry Hepworth. Housemaid Anna notices the closeness of Shore and Lord Hepworth on several occasions which leads her to discover their affair, on the night of the servants’ ball. Anna informs Mary, who in turn leads her Aunt Rosamund to the site of the affair, where Rosamund learns Shore was only interested in her marrying Hepworth so she and her lover could be near. Shore and Hepworth are told to leave the house first thing in the morning, with Shore stating “don’t worry we will.” Rosamund is shaken and angered by the discovery, remarking “I so hate it when Mama is proved right”, referring to her Mother’s warnings that Lord Hepworth was an unsuitable spouse. Category:Characters Category:Nobility